Greenport Board 'Absolutely Not' Moving Basketball Court: Mayor

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Steussi explained that the village board was approached by some neighbors who had complaints about noise — and there were some discussions about that, and lighting, in a public meeting a few months back.

“We made some changes to lighting to better deal with balance between park needs and neighbor concerns. The board is absolutely not considering moving the court to another location,” he said.

While longtime resident Joan Dinizio acknowledges that there are some issues such as noise and trash at the facility, “Address the problems, do not move the park/court. I don’t know a kid who has played basketball at Greenport High School that hasn’t played on the court.”

In 2014 A heartfelt ceremony was held at the park, led by former Greenport Village Trustee Val Shelby. The court was repaved and painted that year; then-Greenport VIllage Trustee David Murray spearheaded the effort and thanked Village Administrator Paul Pallas and his staff for their hard work.

Honored were Corey Freeman, Kyle Rose, Michael Brown, and Jefferson Naquawn Treadwell, all of whom have lost their lives far too soon.

Michael Murphy has taken a strong stand to save the park at its current location.

“We as a community do not stand on the movement of the courts,” he said, adding that the idea did not stem from the Greenport village board, but instead, from a group of private residents who he believes live nearby and have raised concerns about noise, language, and trash.

Murphy said from what he’s been told, these residents listed their grievances and suggested that the court be moved to Moores Lane, near the skate park, an idea he said he and many others are vehemently opposed to.

“I grew up in the community my whole life — and this court meant/means so much to me,” he said. “This is where we spent every day, year round, summer days. Winter days, too — as long as there was no snow on the ground, all the kids would meet and play basketball. This is where we learned how to play ball. It was not at the school for the team or in a camp. It was here at the basketball court. We spent hours upon hours here, playing ball. Growing up in Greenport, this was our camp. This is where we built memories and learned the game of basketball. From tournaments that my Aunt Joanne Jackson started until now with my cousin Candace bringing them back to life here for the kids and teens. We looked forward to this every year, growing up and now.”

His own son, he said, is 8 years old and really loves the sport. “He practices every day to be ready for the tournament. Every kid that plays at the court will leave with countless memories. Taking this court and moving it will just show these kids that they don’t matter.”

The basketball court, Murphy believes, “is already on the back burner.”

Murphy said he believes that the village does not pay as much attention to the court as “they do to tourists spots such as Mitchell Park or the local beaches. Those spots are cleaned and maintained every day. You come here to the basketball court that the local and non-local kids use more than any park on the North Fork, and they are not maintained. The village needs to do better.”

Murphy added: “We live here. We use the park. Everyone does. Kids come from all over to come to this park to play basketball.”

Kids from as far as the William Floyd School District and East Hampton for the yearly tournament, he said.

The goal, Murphy said, is to come to an amicable solution. “We want to work with the neighbors, not go against them. We are a community — a very tight community — and I’m sure their kids and grandkids will, or have already, played here. Why move it ? Let’s work together and address the issue. The solution is not moving it.”

Murphy acknowledged that, too, “the kids need to do better. Yes, on that we can agree. The village needs to do better. The local police department needs to better. Moving the park will not fix the problem.”

His son and other kids walk to the park every day. “And as a parent, I feel comfortable with him walking there and not walking to Moores Lane to play ball. There is a lot more traffic there. It’s away from the community we all grew up in. I tell my son all the memories I have growing up in this park. And it’s amazing seeing him make the same memories I once had as child. So I think as a community and one of the best communities around, we should work together. That’s what we do here, if you’re a local. You know who kid is whose — and we all look out for all the kids that come to this park. It don’t matter what race you are. We as a community look out for every child here in Greenport.”

There have been several times he’s come from work and a friend from work has donated several bottles of water or soda and snacks to the kids that play at the park, Murphy said.

“He has never met the kids here. But he knows the type of person I am and how close I am with the community,” Murphy said. “He does this with the kindness of his heart, and I do this with the kindness of my heart for the community and kids. They are out there all day, playing ball. If I’ve got it or can get it, I will provide it to the kids. And when I give those bottles of water and snacks to them, I tell them, ‘Make sure the trash goes in the garbage.'”

Murphy also suggested additional trash cans be sited at the park, and that enhanced police patrols in the area be planned.

The court, more than 50 years old, Murphy said, needs work. “It needs a face lift. The village gets grants for other parks such as the ice rink and Mitchell Park, to make the improvements — why not the basketball court? We need a facelift, not to relocate the courts.”

He added: “The kids deserve the much-needed renovation of the park. This is their home. Let’s show the kids how much they deserve it. This is a memorial park. It was dedicated in honor of four young kids who we lost. But the park also represents the kids and adults of the past, present and future.”

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